“(The best recruiter she knew of) explained that even at the earliest of candidate reviews, she looks to see if someone knows them self and has the courage to represent their career authentically.”

Really? That is a Secret to Better Hiring?

I have utilized this truth for 20 years, and I can attest that it is true.

People who can be naturally openly vulnerable in an interview have something that others do not. They have stepped past needing to prove themselves. They know who they are and do real things, so even if they got fired, they can say it. They can say what they did wrong and what really happened. They give you real data. That is exactly what you need. Some people may pass on a candidate when he tells what he failed at. We however know that person has that special something.

People who need to prove themselves are afraid to hire great people. They fear they will not look good next to them

That they will not tell the truth about this history means they will make up stories when they work for you. It is so hard to make right decisions when people you hire are feeding you bad data to cover for themselves. It is even worse when the government or customer finds out first what they did not do right.